It seems the racing world was dominated by NASCAR news surrounding driver drama and the Daytona 500, but it wasn’t the only racing going on. February 19-20 saw all three series that comprise the Mazda Road to Indy at NOLA Motorsports Park for Cooper Tires WinterFest. USF2000 and Pro Mazda had three races each, while Indy Lights was able to get some needed test sessions with the new IL-15. WinterFest is unique in that the races accumulate points that don’t transfer to the series’ regular seasons and a WinterFest champion…

Beads? Booze? What do beads have to do with the Verizon IndyCar Series? This is Mardis Gras season, which is what manufacturers o beads look forward to each year. Most people don’t know anything about the celebrations leading into Lent beyond drunken revelry in New Orleans’ French Quarter where ladies show off their… ahem… assets in exchange for a string of plastic beads. Without digging too much into the history of Mardis Gras (including the fact that Mobile, Alabama has the oldest Mardis Gras celebration in the country – Thanks…

Not surprisingly, the recent announcement that VICS placed Brian Barnhart back into the position of Race Director has drawn a large volume of very loud criticism from the die-hard fanbase, myself included. It is no secret that Barnhart has been inconsistent on his best of days and risked the lives of drivers on his worst. In an interview with Fox Sports, President of Competition and Operations Derrick Walker may be aware of Barnhart’s standing among the fans, but he really misses the point, much in the same way a car…

As it came to pass during the excessively long off-season, the Verizon IndyCar Series was awash in malaise. The long five months of nothingness wore the denizens of 16th & Georgetown to weak-willed and impressionable puddles, allowing that most foul of demons, Brian Barnhart to work his most dark magick and infiltrate their realm once again. And lo, in the year two thousand and fifteen, dark times have returned to the series of the wheels that are open. Yes, that’s right. IndyCar announced that Brian Barnhart is returning as Race…

In December, Racer magazine began a series of pieces about what people in and around the series think the direction of the Verizon IndyCar Series should take for 2018. Mario Andretti, Will Power, Bobby Unser and others have lent their opinion as well as others, with more pieces forthcoming. Each has a unique idea of how they would like to see the series improve over the next few years. I’m hardly an industry insider. I’m pretty much a hack blogger with an opinion. And opinions are neither right nor wrong,…

That’s right, a plop. We’re talking about the same sound that a turd makes when it lands. That’s not a particularly happy sound, and certainly not something you want to associate with the schedule announcement for a major racing series like the Verizon IndyCar Series. Unfortunately, today’s schedule announcement feels like fans were served up another big steaming pile. We all knew that 2015 would have another season ending by Labor Day, since everyone at 16th & Georgetown is afraid of NFL football. The belief is that IndyCar will suffer…

The new 2015 IndyLights chassis, the Dallara-AER IL-15, debuted at Indianapolis earlier this year on Media Day, the Thursday before the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. The car looks dead sexy, and the first running tests of the car at Putnam Park and at Mid-Ohio were very successful. The car appears to perform brilliantly and should be a great platform for the last step for young drivers on their way to the Verizon IndyCar Series. There’s only one problem. Cost. Sadly, it always comes down to money, doesn’t it? With every…

So what does a Verizon IndyCar Series driver do during an off weekend? How about going to a Formula Ford race and kicking everyone butt! That’s exactly what Josef Newgarden did this past weekend down at the Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL. I contemplated going to this event, and now I wish I’d done so! Here’s the official recap from the SCCA… Official Release from the Sports Car Club of America Newgarden Wins Formula F 45th Anniversary Feature Race at Barber BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Aug. 10, 2014) – Taking a…

The Mid-Ohio IndyCar weekend is a special one to many of us here at OpenPaddock.net. Ok, two of us: Mr. Whitesell and myself. While we do enjoy the IndyCar action throughout the weekend, one of the true joys of the event is the variety and quantity of racing one gets to enjoy. The Mazda Road to Indy was fully represented with Indy Lights and Pro Mazda holding double-headers and USF2000 holding a triple-header. The multiple points-paying races meant that the championship standings could change dramatically, and there were indeed some…